Education: Referencing - Education

On all programmes, it is essential to reference everything you use in your written work. Any time you quote from, summarise, paraphrase or discuss something you have read, listened to or watched, you should reference it. This tells the reader where your information comes from, and it ensures that you are not plagiarising (using someone else's words or work without credit).

Different programmes use different referencing styles, but basic principles are the same with two key elements:

In-text citations

In the body of your text, an indication of where the information for a specific sentence or quote comes from. Depending on which referencing style you use, this might be the name of the author of the information source and the year it was written, or it might be a number. For example, Harvard uses author and date, whereas Vancouver uses a number system.

Reference list

At the end of the assignment, a list of references. For author-date systems, this will be in alphabetical order (by the author or creator of each information source). For numerical systems, this will be in numerical order. 

The list will contain absolutely everything you have referenced in your text, and nothing else.

Cite Them Right is a useful guide to referencing. We have copies in the library, and all 3 of the universities on campus also have access to an electronic version. 

It is best known for covering Harvard-style referencing, in the format used by most of the programmes on campus, but is also covers many other styles.

Both the book and the website give examples of how to reference almost any type of information, from books and journal articles to Tweets, musicals and birth certificates. In each case, it gives a bullet-point list and at least one example. The web version also has a template that you can use.

It is definitely worth getting to know Cite Them Right - it is what librarians turn to for referencing queries as well! If you are not sure where to find your university's link to Cite Them Right Online, go to the Cite Them Right website and click Login at the top right. Search for the name of your university and select it to gain full access.

Some brief guides to referencing:

• CCCU Citing References (Harvard Style), 2019.
• University of Kent referencing style guides.

• Reference as you go: Write out quotes (if your're using them) exactly, make note of page numbers and add items to your reference list as soon as you use them in your essay.
• Be sure of style: Make sure you know which referencing style you are expected to use, and take a look at a guide to how to use it. If you have a choice about style, make sure that you stick to one consistently.
• Paraphrasing is better: Although quotes are useful for things like definitions, in most cases it is better to paraphrase or summarise the sources you are using. This allows you to demonstrate that you understand what you have read, and also tends to take up fewer words, allowing you to cover more ground in your assignment.
• Beware paraphrasing without citing: Using your own expression is good, but you must still align the original idea to a source and its author. Using someone else's ideas without acknowledgement is known as plagiarism, and is taken very serious in the academic world.